New MW Million-Dollar Diamond Disc Diaphragms Available!

[SonnyPhono]

The following information has been posted in the Yankee Trader section for sales purposes and in the Machine section for the purpose of discussing these diaphragms in general.

Several months ago I was having a conversation with John Maeder (JohnM) about phonograph related questions I had at the time. During the conversation he told me that for a number of years he has thought about the Edison Tone-Tests and how life-like a Diamond Disc must have sounded when new. He said that it was likely that no one alive today has ever heard a Diamond Disc the way they actually sounded when new because of the aging process on original diaphragms, and he had contemplated building a replacement diaphragm for Diamond Disc phonographs that would meet or even exceed the performance characteristics of original diaphragms when new, that would be constructed from the highest-quality modern materials to make them inherently stable and unaffected by temperature and humidity changes, and that would be consistent in performance from diaphragm to diaphragm. He told me that he had finally determined a proper material and process to build a prototype diaphragm. Due to John's occupation/work schedule as a traveling photographer, he didn't have the time and place to develop and perfect the diaphragm, so he asked me if I would be interested in partnering on the project with him. I was excited to try his ideas and agreed to do what I could to help.

He sent me the fundamental prototype materials he had developed and I installed the first diaphragm for testing. It sounded very good as he had predicted it would, and we began to experiment to derive the maximum sound from the diaphragm, making changes in the design, testing each one as we went for sound comparison using a dosimeter and oscilloscope. I would build a diaphragm, record the audio with a quality microphone he provided and then would send him the audio file so he could listen. After each test we would discuss the changes in design and how the sound was affected by those changes. Then I would alter the next diaphragm a bit and the process would continue. This continued for nearly five months on nearly a daily basis. In that time we have talked for many, many hours, sent countless emails/PM's and sent over 5000 texts to each other regarding progress, design changes and ideas for the next diaphragm to be built. We have built hundreds of diaphragms using many different materials to replace the original components on Edison's design (ie., linkage, ivory button, cork, etc.) Early on, John suggested that I talk with Steven Medved regarding techniques for rebuilding Diamond Disc reproducers as well as sharing our thoughts on the diaphragm design to get some reliable feedback. Steve is a wealth of information regarding phonograph reproducers and the proper steps to rebuild one. I began sending him the audio files from the tests as well. When we reached a point near the final design, I sent him a few diaphragms to test for himself. He did so and replied in an email that, "The highs are amazingly crisp with no distortion . . . I have never hear a diaphragm new or old that was that crystal clear". With this response from Steve, John and I decided it was time to finalize the design and manufacturing processes and make them available to everyone.

John and his wife, Lauri, drove to Columbus to visit for a few days in mid-September. It was a gratifying feeling to play a Diamond Disc for them in person for the first time and watch their reactions. John had thought about this project for decades and it was a real pleasure to see his response to the final design I had crafted derived from his ideas. While they were here, we finalized the design and built several diaphragms to test for consistency. I had been using a dosimeter to monitor the average and peak decibel levels since diaphragm #1. We used the dosimeter as well as oscilloscopic audio software to check the frequency range of several 'final design' diaphragms to ensure they would be consistent. At this point we are very happy with the end result and are ready to offer them for sale. Ladies and gentlemen of the phonograph collecting community, we are very proud to announce the 'Maeder-Whittington Million-Dollar Diaphragm'. These diaphragms possess superior volume, impressive bass and treble response with no peaking, even dynamics across the frequency spectrum, extreme clarity and audibility -- impressive 'separation' of voices and individual instruments, life-like tonal reproduction, low surface noise transfer (s/n ratio), and the virtual elimination of the annoying concentration of certain frequencies making Diamond Disc 'listener fatigue' a thing of the past. These are extremely listenable diaphragms! You will re-experience your Diamond Discs with these!

For those who are interested, I made videos throughout this project for the purpose of documenting progress while comparing designs. Obviously I didn't make videos of every diaphragm that was tested as there were far too many for that. But these videos do show some of the development in sound quality as time progressed. You can see them starting with diaphragm test #1 here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Bradafelcher?feature=mhee

The final MW 'Million-Dollar Diaphragm' may be heard here on this video, with more videos to follow in the next few days:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkLVVtRWfPU[/youtube]

John and I discussed pricing while they were visiting. We didn't start this project with intentions to make a lot of money by selling diaphragms. However, I have logged over 600 hours just building, testing and tweaking diaphragms and John has probably spent more than that considering that he has thought about this for years. We decided to make them available for $25 each and only available as part of a complete rebuild performed by us. The reason for this is based on our desire to ensure that each and every reproducer we install one of our diaphragms in is performing consistently at peak efficiency to sound the best. A proper reproducer rebuild is far more involved than some may think. We have put an incredible amount of time and effort into developing a diaphragm that can extract as much sound as possible from a Diamond Disc groove. In order to get the most out of our diaphragms, reproducers must be meticulously rebuilt. There are more than 20 parts on a Diamond Disc reproducer that must be properly removed, cleaned, polished, lubricated if necessary, re-assembled, and then adjusted. I have rebuilt hundreds of them at this point using Steve Medved's tools and rebuild protocols to make sure each produces the best sound possible. We want to make sure that anyone interested in installing one of our diaphragms in their reproducer receives the same final product performance. We have versions of the Million-Dollar Diaphragm for 'standard' models of Diamond Disc reproducers as well as for Edisonic Diamond Disc reproducers. A complete rebuild service will be $50 which will include the all steps I mentioned above. With the installation of our diaphragm and gaskets the total cost is $75. We feel this is fair as it is less than some charge for just the rebuild. We will also replace the stylus if required for an additional cost. Although this is a relatively substantial additional expense, we highly recommend it if your existing stylus is worn, as a correctly formed stylus is essential to extracting all the sound information from the record groove, and preventing undue surface noise and record wear by keeping the sides of the stylus off the walls of the groove. If your reproducer has already been mechanically rebuilt to our standards by someone else, the charge to install a Million-Dollar Diaphragm will be discounted accordingly at our discretion. Each Million-Dollar Diaphragm will be assigned a block serial number maintained in our data base, and a registration certificate will accompany each rebuilt reproducer to ensure you have a genuine MW 'Million-Dollar Diaphragm' installed.

If anyone is interested in having one installed, please feel free to send me a PM or email to [email protected]. I would be happy to discuss the steps of the rebuild process in depth including pricing on a new replacement stylus and my methods to determine if one is needed. Also, we would be happy to discuss any questions you may have regarding the progress of the project, our pricing, time it will take to receive a rebuilt reproducer, etc.

If you have read this far, I hope I haven't bored you. We are excited to offer these diaphragms and our rebuild service to anyone interested and look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts regarding this project!

Sonically yours,
Jeff & John

[SonnyPhono]

Here are a few more videos demonstrating the total sound quality of these diaphragms. Please be sure to switch from 360 to 1080HD in the lower right hand corner of each video to ensure the best possible playback.

This is Vernon Dalhart singing "Go Emmaline".

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66MFKgvRj8[/youtubehd]


Here is a selection that has a good range of instruments to help illustrate different tonal qualities.

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5U1zVlfnhg[/youtubehd]

Here is a video of Ave Maria. Picture the phonograph behind a curtain along side the artist while listening to this one. Tone tests were great for demonstration purposes and this selection shows that it would have indeed been difficult to distinguish between a Diamond Disc and the artist live voice.

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovBp_MyM0wk[/youtubehd]

Here is a video of "That Red Head Gal". Be sure to listen for the bells around 1 minute 38 seconds into the video. They are VERY high pitched and crystal clear.

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD5Zkld3Bzo[/youtubehd]

Another thing to keep in mind while watching these videos is that Youtube has poor audio codex. (Please forgive me if that isn't the correct terminology.) I have heard that it isn't the best platform for hosting HQ audio files, but haven't ever used any other audio hosting sites online. Feel free to correct me if this isn't the case or if I am mistaken. At any rate, I hope those videos helped demonstrate the overall tonal range and total sound capabilities of the MD Million-Dollar Diaphragms.

[saxymojo]

Excellent sound reproduction

[gramophoneshane]

They do sound excellent indeed. It's like listening to a digital transfer with pictures added.
Great job fellas!

[Starkton]

Beautiful machine by the way. After hearing such excellent sound I regret not to collect Edison Diamond Discs.

[Valecnik]

Why would you want an Edisonic? The standard reproducer sounds great.

[SonnyPhono]

Why would you want an Edisonic? The standard reproducer sounds great.

That brings up a great point, Valecnik. The standard Diamond Disc reproducer and the Edisonic reproducer sound nearly identical when playing Diamond Discs that weren't electrically recorded. This is because the diaphragms are highly responsive with little inertia due to them being lightweight.

There is a slight difference when listening to electrically recorded Diamond Discs. Comparatively speaking, the volume is the same, but the Edisonic is able to handle the increased energy stored in the grooves of an electric Diamond Disc because of the heavy weight and spring loaded stylus bar. The result is a sound that is a bit fuller because the stylus is always making contact with the bottom of the grooves while the standard stylus may tend to "jump" off the grooves briefly during times of high amplitude. The volume, theoretically, should be the same between the two though because volume is caused by how high or deep the "hills" and "dales" are on a disc.

I will say that I have an electrically recorded Diamond Disc that is by far the loudest record I have ever heard. It's almost obnoxious at times! I took a reading with the dosimeter for the duration of the record and the average decibel level at the horn opening was 109.2 decibels with a peak decibel level of 127.4! Needless to say the mute ball is a must when listening to that particular disc. : )

[Flvice]

Sounds terrific... But a million dollars is too much $$$$

[larryh]

I can relate to your quest for better sound from the edisons. I have also tried many variations, many of which had very endearing qualities but alas always a flaw to be found at some point. From listening as best as one can from the U Tube videos it does seem like you have reached a rather overall clarity with minimum distortion. It would be interesting to hear in person. I agree as well that a Edisonic head does have an edge over the standard head even on many acoustic recordings, which for my ear the latter ones are almost as satisfying if not more so than many of the electric disc. Your reason for the better sound is correct in that the old weight was found to not be able to handle well some of the frequencies without distortion from the groove. All and all a very nice job.

Larry

[Lucius1958]

Marvelous reproduction! If I ever add a DD to my collection, I'll know where to go for the diaphragm.....

BTW, have you considered experimenting with the Diamond cylinder reproducers?

Bill